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Can a strip of your own gum plus donor tissue rebuild healthier gums?

NCT ID NCT04920136

Disease control Sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether combining a thin strip of the patient's own gum tissue with a donor tissue matrix can improve the quality and amount of keratinized gum tissue around teeth and dental implants. Twenty adults with thin or missing gum tissue will receive one of two surgical techniques. The study will compare the new combination method against the standard free gingival graft to see which produces better tissue quality and width.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a surgical procedure combining a strip of the patient's own gum tissue with a donor tissue matrix
What this could lead to
If successful, this combined graft technique could offer a less invasive way to improve gum quality around teeth and implants.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial with only 20 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Surgical risks include pain, swelling, and graft failure.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 20 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Sep 2021

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 99 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * English speaking * At least 18 years old * Able to read and understand informed consent document * Patients with teeth/implants lacking keratinized tissue. * Must be a patient of the UAB Dental School * Presence of periodontally healthy, non-carious neighboring teeth, healthy implants or edentulous ridges on either side of the involved site(s) Exclusion Criteria: * Non-English speaking * Less than 18 years old * Smokers/tobacco users (\>10 cigarettes/day) * Patients with systemic pathologies or conditions contraindicating oral surgical procedures or adversely affecting wound healing * Presence of active periodontal disease * Previous soft tissue grafting at the site(s) to be treated

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

gingival recession

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Gingival recession Lack of keratinized attached peri-implant mucosa Thin-gingiva

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Unversity of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Dentistry

    RECRUITING

    Birmingham, Alabama, 35294-0007, United States

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